Parts of a Ground Cover Fire
This part of a ground cover fire spreads most rapidly, burns intensely, and usually does the most damage.
What is the Head?
This mode of attack involves taking action directly against the flames at the fire's burning edge or closely parallel to it.
What is a Direct Attack?
The three primary incident priorities that an Incident Commander aims to meet when formulating an IAP.
What are Life Safety, Incident Stabilization, and Property Conservation?
When constructing a fireline using hand tools or heavy equipment, all vegetation and surface/subsurface fuels must be removed down to this.
What is Mineral Soil?
These long, narrow strips of fire extend from the main fire when light fuels burn faster than surrounding heavy fuels.
What are Fingers?
Control line construction must always begin at one of these secure locations to prevent the fire from outflanking suppression crews.
What is an Anchor Point?
The acronym SMART, used when establishing management objectives in an IAP, stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and this.
What is Time Sensitive?
To ensure safety from tool strikes during hand crew operations, crew members should walk and work at least this far apart.
What is 10 feet (or 3 meters)?
The area where the fire started, which should be protected whenever possible for subsequent cause investigation.
What is the Origin (or Area of Origin)?
This attack method starts at a secure anchor point on a fire's sides and works toward the head, typically used on moderately intense fires.
What is a Flank Attack?
Assessing smoke (volume, color, movement) and cloud type/size are size-up factors performed at this specific stage of response.
What is En Route (or Size-Up En Route)?
To stop a fire that is rapidly burning upslope, firefighters should construct the control line in this specific topographical location.
What is just over the ridge on the other side?
These are patches of unburned fuel inside the fire perimeter that must be patrolled frequently and checked for spot fires.
What are Islands?
A form of indirect attack using dozers or heavy equipment to quickly construct a line much closer to the fire than hand crews can build, sacrificing less territory.
What is a Parallel Attack?
Preincident plans, fire weather forecasts, and local terrain/fuels are size-up considerations gathered at this time.
What is Before Dispatch?
Under normal variables, a standard dozer can cut a one-blade-width control line at approximately this rate of speed per hour.
What is one-half mile (or 880 yards / 805 meters)?
This event occurs when a fire edge crosses immediately across and adjacent to a control line, as opposed to occurring some distance away.
What is a Slopover?
Direct attack is generally limited to relatively small, manageable fires with flame lengths not exceeding this maximum measurement.
What is 4 feet (or 1.2 meters)?
An initial report on conditions transmitted by the IC must cover these three chronological aspects of the incident history and prediction.
What is what HAS happened, what IS happening, and what IS GOING to happen?
This hand crew organizing method involves each firefighter taking one stroke ("lick") with their tool before moving one step forward in a staggered formation.
What is Progressive Line Construction (or the One-Lick Method)?